AN INVESTIGATION ON THE EFFECTS OF PRODUCT AND SERVICE DELIVERY

ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IN BANKS WITHIN NAKURU COUNTY

BY: TONUI GEOFREY

REG: BCOM/112/01770

A RESEARCH PROPOSAL SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE

REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF

COMMERCE OF MOUNT KENYA UNIVERSITY.

MAY, 2014

DECLARATIONI hereby declare that this submission is my own work and to the best of my knowledge, it

contains neither material previously published by another person nor material which has been

accepted for the award of the university.

Tonui Geofrey Sign

Reg No. BCOM/112/01770 Date

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APPROVALThis research project has been submitted for examination with my approval as a supervisor of the

University.

MR. PETER N. MBOGO

Lecturer, School of Business

Mount Kenya University

Signed Date

DEDICATIONThis research is dedicated to my parents for their financial support and encouragement

throughout the research period.

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ABSTRACTThe purpose of the research was to find out if the products and services provided in the banks has

any effect on customer satisfaction. Barriers to customer service provision and any other thing

customers would like to see in the bank will also be studied. Questionnaires were used to obtain

information from customers and the staff of the banks within Nakuru County.

Findings from the research reveal that banks within Nakuru County provide appreciable level of

customer service. Barriers such as large numbers of customers with few tellers, some problems

with the system (internet banking) and some managerial decisions affect customer service

provision in the bank. The researcher sampled 68 customers and 64 staff as respondents to the

questions in the questionnaire.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTAll thanks first of all to the Almighty God for strength and grace to go through the course and

the completion of this research proposal. I also thank my supervisor Mr Peter N. Mbogo for his

guidance and positive criticisms throughout the development of this proposal.

Finally, I wish to thank the staff and Management of all banks operating in Nakuru County for

allowing me and providing me with all the necessary inform to complete this work.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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DECLARATION...................................................................................................................................... i

APPROVAL............................................................................................................................................ ii

DEDICATION......................................................................................................................................... ii

ABSTRACT........................................................................................................................................... iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT...................................................................................................................... iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS.........................................................................................................................v

CHAPTER ONE..........................................................................................................................................1

1.0. Background......................................................................................................................................1

1.1. Problem Statement............................................................................................................................1

1.2. Objectives.........................................................................................................................................2

1.3. Research Questions...........................................................................................................................2

1.4. Significance of Study........................................................................................................................3

1.5. Scope of Study..................................................................................................................................3

1.6. Limitations and Delimitation of the Study........................................................................................4

1.6.1 Limitations of the Study.............................................................................................................4

1.6.2 Delimitation of the Study............................................................................................................4

1.7 Definition of Terms...........................................................................................................................5

CHAPTER TWO.........................................................................................................................................6

2.0. Introduction......................................................................................................................................6

2.1. Customer..........................................................................................................................................6

2.2. Customer Service..............................................................................................................................6

2.3. The Customer Perceived Service Quality.........................................................................................6

2.3.1 Good Customer Service..............................................................................................................7

2.3.2 Superior Customer Service.........................................................................................................7

2.4. Customer Satisfaction.......................................................................................................................7

2.4.1 Positive Aspects..........................................................................................................................9

2.4.2 Negative Aspect..........................................................................................................................9

2.4.3. Meeting Customer Service Standards........................................................................................9

2.5. Exceeding Customer Expectation...................................................................................................10

2.6. Involvement of Customer...............................................................................................................10

2.7. Customer Loyalty...........................................................................................................................11

2.7.1. Effect of Customer Satisfaction on Customer Loyalty.............................................................11

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2.8 Challenges to Customer Satisfaction...............................................................................................12

2.9 Theoretical Framework....................................................................................................................14

2.9.1 Assimilation Theory.................................................................................................................14

2.9.2 Contrast Theory........................................................................................................................14

2.9.3 Assimilation-Contrast Theory...................................................................................................14

2.10 Conceptual Framework..................................................................................................................15

CHAPTER THREE...................................................................................................................................16

3.0. Introduction....................................................................................................................................16

3.1 Research Design..............................................................................................................................16

3.2 Location of the Study.......................................................................................................................16

3.3 Target Population............................................................................................................................16

3.4 Research Instruments.......................................................................................................................17

3.5 Data Collection Procedures.............................................................................................................17

3.6 Data Analysis...................................................................................................................................17

REFERENCES......................................................................................................................................18

APPENDICES.......................................................................................................................................19

APPENDIX I- QUESTIONNAIRE FOR BANK CUSTOMERS AND BANK STAFF.......................19

APPENDIX II: BUDGET......................................................................................................................24

APPENDIX III: WORKPLAN..............................................................................................................25

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0. Background

Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase.

The quality of service provided determines the level of satisfaction of the customer even though

what is seen as quality by one customer may not necessarily be quality to another.

Customer satisfaction is a measure of how products and services supplied by a bank meet or

surpass customer expectation. In a competitive marketplace where a business competes for

customers, customer satisfaction is seen as a key differentiator and increasingly has become a

key element of business strategy. Customer satisfaction is an asset that should be monitored and

managed just like any physical asset. The relationship between customer service and customer

satisfaction is a vital one.

Understanding customer needs has become crucial therefore banks have moved from product-

centric to customer-centric positions. Customer satisfaction is influenced by the type of service

provided. Satisfaction is a challenge particularly in the bank based service as customers can

easily switch from one bank to another of a better service.

Considering the high costs of acquiring new customers and apparently, high customers turnover

of many banking services. It is very important to find out what causes customer satisfaction.

High levels of customer satisfaction bring several positive aspects to a bank. It is believed that

customer satisfaction has a positive relationship with economic profit. It will contribute to the

creation of loyal customers, which in turn implies a stable future cash-flow.

1.1. Problem Statement

Customer satisfaction is the single most important issue affecting organizational survival. It has

the most important effect on customer retention and in order to narrow it down, focus on

customer service quality as one of the customer satisfaction factors.

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There has been fast-changing competitive environment, economic changes and regulations that

forced banks to be run efficiently by continuous innovations. Banks have embarked on products

and service delivery to remain competitive and relevant in the market. These products and

service delivery have either had positive or negative customer satisfaction and is swaying the

loyalty of customers.

Knowing that customer service is a pillar of the bank, the researcher therefore decided to find out

whether the kind of customer service being provided in banks within Nakuru County has any

effect on customer satisfaction and whether there are challenges that prevent quality customer

delivery.

1.2. Objectives

i) To evaluate how customer service affects customer satisfaction in banks within Nakuru

County.

ii) To identify challenges to customer service provision by customer service staff of banks

within Nakuru County.

iii) To establish how customer service impacts customer loyalty in banks within Nakuru County.

iv) To identify which other customer service activities, customers will regard as satisfactory in

banks within Nakuru County

1.3. Research Questions

i) How does of customer service influence customer satisfaction in banks within Nakuru

County?

ii) What are the challenges to quality customer service provision in banks within Nakuru

County?

iii) How does customer service impact on customer loyalty in banks within Nakuru County?

iv) Which other customer service activities will really satisfy customers in banks within Nakuru

County?

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1.4. Significance of Study

The study will help banks to identify areas which they need to improve in order to improve

quality service to its customers. It will assist them to know how, when and where to put more

resources in order to improve on their services.

It will also help customer service department to point out areas of weakness and improve on

them so as to offer quality customer service.

Banks have customer service as one of its products, hence the need to find out whether they

really are providing that service and what ways they can improve so as to have competitive

advantage over rivals in the market. This work will therefore provide information regarding

excellent customer service and its effects on customer satisfaction in the Kenyan context.

It will help the management to know the perception of their customers on services being

provided to them and to help improve on service quality.

It will also benefit other business service providers to make informed decisions as far as service

is concerned.

This research will benefit other researchers and business policy makers in making informed

decisions when it comes to quality customer service to satisfy the customers.

1.5. Scope of Study

The researcher intends to carry out the research in Nakuru County. The targeted respondents are

the banks and micro finance institutions offering banking services within Nakuru County. The

researcher will commence research from February 2014 to May 2014.

The study comprises staff and customers of banks operating within Nakuru County. The study

covers employees of the bank who are always in contact with the customers and the difficulties

they face in delivering their service as well as the customers experiences with the employees of

the bank.

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1.6. Limitations and Delimitation of the Study

1.6.1 Limitations of the Study

i) Because of time constraints, the research will be limited only to banks operating within

Nakuru County.

ii) There researcher will face limitation of communication. This is in terms of language as

majority of customers are not able to read and write.

1.6.2 Delimitation of the Study

The researcher scheduled his time to accommodate research and class work. The researcher has

to interview customers since they cannot be able to fill in the questionnaires.

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1.7 Definition of Terms

Customer satisfaction - is a measure of how products and services supplied by a company meet

or surpass customer expectation.

Customer service - is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a

purchase.

Customer - is a person who buys goods or services from the service provider.

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CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0. Introduction

This chapter reviews theoretical literature on customer service and customer satisfaction,

customer loyalty, difference between customer loyalty and retention and challenges to customer

satisfaction.

2.1. Customer

Customers could best be described as those who use the output of work, the end users of

products or services. They may be internal to the organisation such as the employees and

directors or external like members of the public, other businesses, or government

A customer is a person who buys goods or services from the service provider. It may also refer to

any potential buyer. The word "custom" means "habit", a person who goes on a frequent basis to

purchase products or services from a business entity.

2.2. Customer Service

Customer service is an organization's ability to supply their customers' wants and needs.

Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a banking

service. It also means serving the customer and involves all contact with the customer of face-to-

face or indirect contact like dealing with complaint letters.

According to Jamier (2002), “Customer service is a series of activities designed to enhance the

level of customer satisfaction”

2.3. The Customer Perceived Service Quality

Customer perceived service quality is the customers own perception of the service based on

different factors contributing to the service from the process to the final outcome. Customers

buying service consider everything that contributes to the process and the final outcome in

making their assessments of the service.

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Sureshchander et al (2002), points out that service firms have a difficulty envisioning and

understanding what aspects of the service that define high quality to the consumers and at what

levels, they are needed to be delivered. Also, that the aspect of managing a service interaction

also requires understanding the complicated behaviour of employees that find its way into the

customers perception of the service quality.

2.3.1 Good Customer Service

Customers have an inherent expectation that they will be treated well, in a friendly, kind, and

respectful manner. The bank staff while answering their questions and being knowledgeable

about the product or service is also a characteristic of good customer service.

Good customer service is also about ensuring the customer is receiving the appropriate product

or service they truly need and not selling them more product or service than they need.

2.3.2 Superior Customer Service

This involves exceeding the expectations or needs of the customer. It's about going the extra mile

to please the customer. A person who experiences a negative customer service is more likely to

share it among others than someone who experience a positive customer service. It is therefore

important for businesses to go out of their way and strive for an exceptional customer service in

order to avoid the negative image and response for that matter.

2.4. Customer Satisfaction

Customers perceive service in terms of quality, but how satisfied they are with the overall

experience is what defines their satisfaction. Whether the customer is satisfied after purchase

depends on the offer’s performance or the customer service in this case, in relation to the

customer expectations.

Customer Satisfaction is when the outcome of the service matches the expectations of the

service. Customer Satisfaction is defined as the customer’s evaluation of a product or service in

terms of whether the product or service has met his needs or expectations. Failure to meet needs

results in dissatisfaction or a poor perception of the service quality.

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Satisfaction can be acknowledged in various senses depending on what needs the customer had

before the service. It ranges from feelings of fulfilment, contentment, pleasure, delight and relief.

According to Anderson, Fornell, and Lehmann (1994), there is a positive relationship between

customer satisfaction and economic profit for the company. Arguably, customer satisfaction is an

important component in order for the company to be profitable.

Increased global competition has lead to a greater emphasis on customer satisfaction (Johnson

and Fornell, 1991). Matzler, Hinterhuber, Bailom, and Sauerwein (1996), argues that there are an

increasing number of companies that starts to recognize the importance of customer satisfaction

for future business. In attempting to increase customer satisfaction it is necessary to understand

what the customer wants before they realize it themselves.

One major challenge that companies are facing is how to improve customer satisfaction and

continue keeping their customers satisfied, which becomes a way for companies to differentiate

themselves from their competitors (Torbica & Stroh, 2000).

According to Berry et al (1985), customer satisfaction has ten dimensions as enumerated below:

Access- it refers to the how easily a service can be obtained. That is flexibility of working hours

of the service provider, method of contact, and waiting time.

Communication- addresses how information is conveyed and received from customers among

others, it entails empathetic listening, the use if common language, explanation of the service, its

advantages and disadvantages.

Competence – it deals with the level of skills and knowledge of the service provider

Courtesy- it is indicated by friendliness and politeness of service provider(s).

Credibility- it is the trust that customers repose in the organisation and the staff providing the

service. Reliability- it implies the consistent performance or rendering of the right service at the

right time, done right the first time.

Responsiveness - willingness and readiness of employees to provide immediate service.

Security - absence of danger, doubt and risk. It implies physical safety and confidentiality.

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Tangibles - is the evidence that the service and the organization are credible and trustworthy.

Understanding - refers to how well the organization understands the expectations of its

customers in their feeling about services being provided.

2.4.1 Positive Aspects

Anderson, Fornell, and Lehmann (1994) say that companies that strive for high customer

satisfaction are more likely to receive larger economic returns. They also recognize that these

economic returns are not immediately realized. Matzler et al., (1996) argue that customer

satisfaction act as an indicator of future business opportunities, where a satisfied customer is

loyal to the company, which implies a stable future cash-flow. This is strengthened by Anderson,

Fornell, and Lehmann (1994) who acknowledge the fact that there is a positive relationship

between customer satisfaction and profitability.

2.4.2 Negative Aspect

Rust and Oliver (2000) say that a customer that is satisfied with a product or service will raise

their repurchase frequency and future expectations. Due to the customers higher expectations it

will become more difficult for the firm to satisfy the customers in the next purchase cycle.

According to Rust and Oliver (2000), this might damage the company in the long run.

A company that raises customer’s expectation too high will get problem with retaining the same

customer satisfaction in the future. The company would be better of reducing the expectations

and then deliver more than expected (Ciavolino and Dahlgaard, 2007).

Anderson, Fornell, and Rust (1997) further argued that, productivity within the company will be

damaged because of the cost and the search after customer satisfaction. Furthermore, in addition

to higher cost, the company must add more effort in improving product attributes or overall

product design to keep satisfaction at desired level (Anderson, Fornell, and Rust, 1997).

2.4.3. Meeting Customer Service Standards

Most of the banking transactions can be done by the internet or phone banking. However, some

still have to be done manually. There are a number of regular, but infrequent transactions that

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require special processing. Unfortunately, some customers will have to rely on dealing with an

employee.

2.5. Exceeding Customer Expectation

Service expectations are met when customers are provided with the right product/service, at the

right quality, at the right price, every single time. Often companies and organizations claim in

their publicity that they will exceed customer expectations. Such phrases are often included in

mission, vision statements. The message may even be shown on posters prominently displayed in

shop fronts or reception areas. Customers normally have high expectations. But it is very rare for

customer service representatives to regularly meet the expectations of customers, let alone

exceed them.

2.6. Involvement of Customer

In order to implement the satisfaction programs, there is the need to focus on the involvement of

the customer. The interaction between customers and service providers is an important

determinant of perceptions of service quality. Sometimes the interaction will be largely

transactional in nature but most common interactions will be within the context of an ongoing

service relationship.

Building effective and significant relationships can contribute significantly to customer

satisfaction loyalty.

If transaction is without customer involvement, the provision of many services cannot occur, and

the way in which customers participate in the delivery process can have an important implication

for both customer and the service provider (Farquahar, 2004; Ennew & Binks 1996).

Customers who willingly participate in service delivery process expect better quality of service

for various reasons and these include:-

- Customer participation means that the provider has a clear understanding of their needs and

circumstances.

- Customers who participate may be aware of some of the constraints on the service providers

in terms of what they can deliver and what they cannot. For that matter, such customers are

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more likely to form more realistic expectations about service quality and as a consequence

the gaps between expectations and performance may be smaller.

- It is possible that, willingness of customers to participate actively in the provision of a

service can provide the organization with an opportunity to enhance service productivity

(Lovelock and Young, 1997) if they consider the contribution of customers.

2.7. Customer Loyalty

The term customer loyalty is used to describe the behaviour of repeat customers, as well as those

that offer good testimonies. Some customers do a particular company a great service by offering

favourable word of mouth publicity regarding a product, telling friends and family, thus adding

them to the number of loyal customers.

Oliver (1999) defines brand loyalty as “a deeply held commitment to re-buy a preferred

product/service consistently in the future, thereby causing repetitive same-brand or same-brand

set purchase, despite situational influences and marketing efforts have the potential on cause

switching behaviour”.

Consumer satisfaction is believed to mediate consumer learning due to prior experience and to

explain key post purchase behaviours such as complaints, word of mouth, repurchase intention

and product usage (Oliver, 1980). Anderson and Sullivan (1993) suggested that “a dissatisfied

customer is more likely to search for information on alternatives and more likely to yield to

competitor overtures than a satisfied customer”. In addition, a past research shows that

satisfaction is a reliable predictor of re-purchase intentions (Wang, 2001). Maximization of

customer loyalty is a priority for most industries.

2.7.1. Effect of Customer Satisfaction on Customer Loyalty

Bowen and Chen (2001) said that just satisfying customers is not enough, there has to be

extremely satisfied customers. The reason is that, customer satisfaction must lead to customer

loyalty.

Bansal and Gupta (2001), Building customer loyalty is not a choice any longer with businesses:

it’s the only way of building sustainable competitive advantage. However, it can be argued that

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customer satisfaction is not an accurate indicator of loyalty. Satisfaction is necessary but not a

sufficient condition of loyalty. In other words, we can have satisfaction without loyalty, but it is

hard to have loyalty without satisfaction.

Bowen and Chen (2001) agree that it is commonly known that there is a positive relationship

between customer loyalty and profitability. Today, marketers are seeking information on how to

build customer loyalty. The increased profit comes from reduced marketing costs, increased sales

and reduced operational costs. Again, loyal customers cost less to serve, in part because they

know the product and require less information. They even serve as part-time employees.

Therefore loyal customers not only require less information themselves, they also serve as an

information source for other customers”.

For organizations to ensure that there is customer loyalty, organisations must be able to

anticipate the needs of their customers (Kandampully and Duffy, 1999). According to

Kandampully and Duffy (1999), a customer’s interest in maintaining a loyal relationship is

depended on the firm’s ability to anticipate customer’s future needs and offering them before

anyone else does.

2.8 Challenges to Customer Satisfaction

Most banks have realized the need to offer customer service to their customers. The actual

service or the quality of the service is most at times not present as promised. This often leads to

customer dissatisfaction.

Meanwhile, customer service interactions can often be frustrating and client requests can

frequently appear demanding, there are challenges that reasonable consumer requests seem

excessive. Banks therefore need to understand these challenges to customer satisfaction and take

that into consideration in order to satisfy their customers.

Some of the challenges to customer satisfaction include:

Overworked Staff

Overworked staff can be the result of understaffing, layoffs, rapid growth or assigning too many

tasks to too few people. The result is that staff will quickly lose their energy. Since the staff will

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have many clients to serve, steps will be skipped, staff and customers will become frustrated and

clients will receive insufficient attention to their issues.

Under worked Staff

If staff is under worked, they will feel less challenged, under-appreciated and unimportant. Work

has a habit of expanding to fit whatever timeframe is allotted. So if the staff is under worked,

case handling turnaround time can drag on longer than reasonably expected, and customers will

get frustrated.

Having a Non-Caring Culture

The workplace culture can have a substantial effect on how customer service cases are handled.

If the workplace climate is one where customers are not cared for, where staff doesnot care about

their work or if the environment is not empowering, the staff will under-deliver whenever

presented with a customer service case.

Poor Accountability

If the staff is not held accountable for customer service then the staff will not try to work hard to

make sure that the customers are happy. They should be made answerable to their actions and be

appraised regularly on customer service.

Insufficient Systems

If the systems or procedures used in working with customers perform poorly and are either slow

or contain insufficient data or does not track customers data appropriately, then will there always

be problem. Customers will get frustrated very quickly if the turn-around time is long. Therefore

they may start looking

Lack of Incentive

Appropriate incentive to staff who give clients outstanding service should be in place. If the staff

are not motivated, they have no reason to go that extra mile in serving the customers as expected.

Provide rewards both monetary and non-monetary to ensure staff is motivated and empowered

enough to serve customers to the best of their abilities.

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2.9 Theoretical Framework

2.9.1 Assimilation Theory

Assimilation theory is based on Festinger’s (1957) dissonance theory. Dissonance theory posits

that consumers make some kind of cognitive comparison between expectations about the product

and the perceived product performance. According to Anderson (1973), consumers seek to avoid

dissonance by adjusting perceptions about a given product to bring it more in line with

expectations. Consumers can also reduce the tension resulting from a discrepancy between

expectations and product performance either by distorting expectations so that they coincide with

perceived product performance or by raising the level of satisfaction by minimizing the relative

importance of the disconfirmation experienced.

2.9.2 Contrast Theory

Contrast theory was first introduced by Hovland, Harvey and Sherif (1987). Dawes et al (1972)

define contrast theory as the tendency to magnify the discrepancy between one’s own attitudes

and the attitudes represented by opinion statements. Contrast theory presents an alternative view

of the consumer post-usage evaluation process than was presented in assimilation theory in that

post-usage evaluations lead to results in opposite predictions for the effects of expectations on

satisfaction. While assimilation theory posits that consumers will seek to minimize the

discrepancy between expectation and performance, contrast theory holds that a surprise effect

occurs leading to the discrepancy being magnified or exaggerated.

2.9.3 Assimilation-Contrast Theory

Assimilation-contrast theory suggests that if performance is within a customer’s latitude (range)

of acceptance, even though it may fall short of expectation, the discrepancy will be disregarded –

assimilation will operate and the performance will be deemed as acceptable. If performance falls

within the latitude of rejection, contrast will prevail and the difference will be exaggerated, the

produce/service deemed unacceptable.

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2.10 Conceptual Framework

The conceptual framework comprise of factors affecting quality of customer service as illustrated

below. The independent variable is products and service delivery that affect the quality of

customer service. The dependent variable is customer satisfaction.

Independent Variables Dependent variables

Intervening Variables

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Products and Service delivery

Customer Satisfaction

- Disparity in Education Level

- Age- Technological Changes

CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.0. Introduction This chapter outlines the methodology and procedures that the researcher will employ in the

study: The research design, location of the study, target population and research instruments,

data collection procedures and data analysis and presentation.

3.1 Research Design Based on the purpose of the proposal and the type of data involved, descriptive and qualitative

research designs are to be used. The goal is to investigate the effects of product and service

delivery on customer satisfaction. Descriptive involves field survey where the researcher goes to

the population of interest and asks questions about the problem under the study. Qualitative data

is to be collected from the managers, subordinate staff as well as from customers of the financial

institutions.

3.2 Location of the StudyThe research will be conducted in banks operating in Nakuru County. The study will be carried

out to investigate the effects of product and service delivery on customer satisfaction as a means

of improving the performance of the bank.

3.3 Target PopulationThe population of interest in this study consisted of 31 financial institutions operating in Nakuru

County. The managers, employees and customers were targeted as the key respondents. There

was a need to sample the population (customers) because the banks products and service delivery

impacts on their satisfaction.

A population is the whole group that the research focuses on. Sample is the segment of the

population that is selected for investigation (Bryman and Bell, 2003). The researcher sampled 68

customers and 64 staff working in the bank. In quantitative research, the need to sample is one

that is almost invariably encountered. And sampling constitutes a key step in the research

process in social survey research.

The population was expected to involve all categories of customers- retail, private/ executive,

Corporate and customer service personnel in the bank.

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3.4 Research Instruments

The research instruments are devices which assist the researcher to collect the necessary data to

come up with research findings. The researcher adopted different instrument when collecting

data for effective findings. The instruments which will be used will be questionnaires and

interview schedules.

3.5 Data Collection Procedures The gathering of data ranged from a simple observation at the banking halls to collection of

information through questionnaire from various customers in the banking hall. The method of

research determined how the data is collected. Questionnaire and observation were used to

recover raw data in this case.

3.6 Data AnalysisThe collected data will be analyzed and interpreted. The researcher will use descriptive statistics

that included frequencies and percentage (s), graphs and pie charts.

REFERENCESAnderson, E. W. (1996), “Customer Satisfaction and Price Tolerance,” Marketing Letters.

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Anderson, E.W. and Sullivan, M. (1993), “The Antecedents and consequences of consumer

satisfaction for firms” Marketing Science, Vol. 12, spring.

Bansal, S., Gupta, G. (2001), Building Customer Loyalty Business-to-Business Commerce. In J.

N. Sheth, A. Parvatiyar & G. Shainesh, eds., Customer Relationship Management. New Delhi,

Tata McGraw-Hill, 2001.

Fornell, C. and Johnson, M.D. (1993), "Differentiation as a Basis for Explaining Customer

Satisfaction Across Industries," Journal of Economic Psychology.

Kotler, P. (2006), Marketing management. 12th Ed., NY: Prentice Hall.

Oliver, R.L. (1999), “Whence Consumer Loyalty”, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 63.

Saleem, (1997), Training and Development: Saleem Publishers, Nairobi Kenya.

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APPENDICES

APPENDIX I- QUESTIONNAIRE FOR BANK CUSTOMERS AND BANK STAFF The purpose of this research is to find out if Customer Service provided by Banks within Nakuru

County has any effect on Customer Satisfaction. All answers will be treated confidentially.

CUSTOMER PERCEPTION ABOUT BANK SERVICES

1. What category of customers do you belong to?

[ ] Retail [ ] Private/ Executive [ ] Corporate

2. How long have you banked with Fidelity bank?

[ ] 0-1yr [ ] 2-3yrs [ ] above 3yrs.

3. Do you have a relationship manager?

[ ] Yes [ ] No [ ] do not know

4. How often are you called from the bank or visited by your relationship managers?

[ ] Very regularly [ ] regularly [ ] Seldom [ ] Not at all

5. How will you rank the staff of the Banks?

[ ] Excellent [ ] very good [ ] good [ ] satisfactory [ ] poor

6. What do you like about your bank?

[ ] staff attitude [ ] short turn-around time [ ] Lack of information on products

[ ] others, specify…………………………..

7. What do you dislike about banks?

[ ] staff attitude [ ] long turn-around time [ ] Lack of information on products

[ ] others, specify…………………………………..

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8. Have you recommended your preferred bank to others?

[ ] Yes [ ] No

9. Do you intend to continue banking with the bank?

[ ] Yes [ ] No [ ] cannot tell

10. What would you like the bank to do to meet your needs?

[ ] provide more tellers [ ] provide more chairs for waiting

[ ] Visit or call you regularly [ ] Extend banking hours

11. Is there any other thing you think the bank can do to make you more satisfied?

PLEASE TICK THE APPROPRIATE BOX AGAINST EACH STATEMENT

INDICATING YOU RATING OF THE BANK’S SERVICES.

1----Strongly agree

2----Agree

3----Normal

4----Disagree

5----Strongly disagree

RETENTION STRATEGIES 1 2 3 4 5

Tangibility

Location of bank is convenient

Has state of the art banking hall

Service provided by staff is professional

Assurance

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Staff are friendly and courteous

Staff perceive customers as queens/kings

ReliabilityStaff will tell customers about new products

Promotions to reward customers are regular

EmpathyCustomers are given individual attention

Staff have your best interest at heart

ResponsivenessTurn-around time is swift

Source: By Gyasi (2010)

QUESTIONNAIRE – STAFF

1. On the average, what number of customers do you serve in a day?

A [0-50] B [51-100] C [101-150] D [151-200] E [201 and above]

2. What is the average turn-around time?

A [1-10mins] B [11- 20 mins] C [21-30mins] D [31-40 mins]

E [above 40mins]

3. Which of the under listed best describes the customer service goal of your organization?

A. Meeting customer expectation

B. Meeting organizational expectation

C. Delighting the customer

4. I am always motivated to deliver on the bank’s service promise to customers.

A. Strongly Disagree

B. Disagree

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C. Agree

D. Strongly Agree

5. I am well equipped with the right resources to deliver customer service.

A. Strongly Disagree

B. Disagree

C. Agree

D. Strongly Agree

6. Some executive decisions affect customer service delivery in my organization

A. Strongly Disagree

B. Disagree

C. Agree

D. Strongly Agree

7. Employee mood can affect the effective customer service delivery

A. Strongly Disagree

B. Disagree

C. Agree

D. Strongly Agree

8. We are always trained on new technologies before they are rolled out.

A. Strongly Disagree

B. Disagree

C. Agree

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D. Strongly Agree

9. The organization has a definite customer service goal which is being achieved.

A. Strongly Disagree

B. Disagree

C. Agree

D Strongly Agree

10. What other factor within your set up can aid the bank to improve upon its current service

level?

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APPENDIX II: BUDGET

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EXPENSE TOTAL COST (SHS.)

Transport and Lunch 2,500

Stationery 3,000

Typing of Proposal printing 5,500

Miscellaneous 2,000

Total 13,000

APPENDIX III: WORKPLAN

Activity Time January February March April May

Selection/Approval of Topic

Concept Paper

Data collection

Data Analysis

Proposal Writing

Submission of the project Proposal

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